Marbles That Glow Under Black Light

This entry was posted on sunday march 14th 2010 at 5 37 am and is filed under marbles.

Marbles that glow under black light.

The selling point wasn t the glow which is something enjoyed by modern collectors but much more subtle coloration. Then flip on the black light and be surprised. Tooth whitener or other enamel product used on our teeth will glow under black light. Next time you score a big batch of new marbles try to guess which ones will fluoresce and put them in a pile next to the rest.

American colorless pressed glass made before 1930 is said to fluoresce yellow while reproductions generally do not. Some vintage marbles will glow under black light because they were made with a small quantity of uranium. 920s nobody was walking around with a pocket black light to make their marbles glow so the novel appearance of marbles in such a situation would not have been a consideration. The secret is the composition of the glass.

Old burmese glass fluoresces a similar yellow green color. The glow light keeps the teeth from the disgusting yellowish color. Many vintage marbles were manufactured with uranium infused glass. Some people report that american brilliant cut glass also casts a yellow hue.

When illuminated by ultraviolet light the glass shines an intense and stereotypically radioactive green. Why do some vintage marbles shine brilliantly and some simply react to the presence of the black light like any other glass.